Harry Potter and the Earth's Child
by M.K. Mailler
Summary: AU crossover between Earths Children and Harry Potter. Ayla has just gone to the Clan Gathering. What will happen at the Root Ceremony?
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

Disclaimer: Characters belong to either J.K. Rowling or Jean Auel. I am only borrowing them.

Summary: Ayla has just gone to the Clan Gathering. What will happen at the Root Ceremony? AU crossover between Earths Children and Harry Potter.

Chapter 1 – The Root

The twelve year old woman was nervous. She could not wait for the holy men to leave, and be done with her part of the ceremony. Once she was done preparing the root, she exchanged her bowl with the Acolyte, and took it over to her clan. She was slightly upset that she had swallowed some of the special juices, but she could not have helped it. As the night progressed, she became worried for the bowl her mother had given to her. She went to find it, and once she did, saw that it still held some of the ceremonial drink. She could not waste it, as it was too holy. She did the only thing she could do, and drank it down.

Around the fire sat the Mog-urs of the Clan. She had been drawn to them, as a moth to flame. She knew she should not have been there, but her sense had left her. As the mog-urs entered their memories, she was drawn in with them.

_Ayla could feel Mog-ur in her mind. She followed him back to the primordial forest, and advanced along with them. She saw a cave, right before getting back to her own time, and felt drawn to it, but the image passed rapidly. Once she was back to her own time, she felt his mind slip away, she was alone. She continued to pass through time, and began to feel nervous. She should not be going into the future! She saw herself in different scenes that passed before her in a heartbeat. There she was walking away from the cave… Now she was in a valley with a cave lion and horse… She had met a blond haired man that made her smile… She had learned spoken language again, and had traveled with the man… She had met other people, the Others… She crawled out of a wolf den with a baby wolf cub… She traveled again, on a boat of enormous size… She had crossed a glacier… Then it all went blank. There was nothingness surrounding her. She panicked even more, and tried to form a connection, an anchor, with someone. She did not want to stay in the dark place alone. An instant later, she saw a man, a very old man. He was wearing strange clothes, almost like a blanket, with holes for the arms. And what a strange hat he wore. She tried to communicate with him, to get help, but she went back to the void._

He felt a tug on his mind, and knew that she was in trouble. He did not know who she was, but she had tried to get help. He concentrated on her image.

Suddenly a girl with beautiful blond hair blinked into existence about two feet above the ground, and fell. She moaned for a few seconds, and passed out.

A/N This is my first fanfic. Please R/R! I hope to make the following chapters longer, but the intro stuff was necessary. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

A/N and Disclaimer: Sorry it took so long. My laptop died on me, and work was rough. I would appreciate suggestions on which year Ayla will meet Harry. I have some ideas, but not completely sure yet. Hope I can write more frequently than the true authors of these characters. (Not that Rowling writes slow, but I go by the chapter, and they go by the book)

Chapter 2 - Strange New Time

Ayla awoke suddenly and looked around. Everything was pure white, whiter than almost everything she had seen before. And the walls! They were straight up and down, not something that occurred naturally. What strange type of cave was this? It was also very bright, for not showing any signs of a fire.

She stiffened when she noticed how soft and high the object under her was. Ayla felt around for a moment, and noticed that the thin fabric on her was soft and smooth. She carefully peeled it off of herself, and noticed she was not wearing her normal wrap. As a matter of fact, she was in another layer of the strange fabric, but this layer was slightly thicker, and instead of pure white, it was an ecru color, with tan polka dots. Not seeing any other clothing in the immediate vicinity, she decided to keep it on. It allowed much more flexibility over her normal clothing anyway.

Then she noticed something else. It was not cold at all within this odd cave. Actually, it was warmer than she was used to, even for a summer day. And there was no air circulation. Finding most everything odd, she was only mildly surprised to see someone coming towards her.

He wore a deep purple robe, that went all the way down to an inch off of the floor. Looking closer, Ayla could see that it had shimmering lights all around as well, reminding her of shooting stars. He wore a large, pointy hat that looked like it had seen better days, what with all of the patchwork it contained. He also wore a strange object over his nose, that looked almost like two half-moons. He was smiling, and looking at her.

She was staring! She quickly got off of her bed, and sat cross-legged on the floor, looking down. She berated herself for her insolence. She knew better than to stare, and especially at a man! She did not get a bad feeling about the smile on his face. It was definitely unusual. Of course, she could not get it through her mind how similar the new person looked like Creb. He didn't have the Clan characteristics, he was definitely an Other. She did not have enough time to figure it out, as the figure standing in front of her tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up, and he smiled again.

He began to speak, but the fluidity of his dialogue was too much for Ayla. It sounded familiar, but she could not place where she would ever have heard it. The Clan did not speak aloud, aside for warnings. It was all body language and signs. This man was strange. But he held himself with confidence; he must be a very important person to his Cave. Maybe he was Mog-ur.

He frowned at Ayla, realizing that she was not understanding his speech. She decided to do something about it. She could not very well follow any commands he may give to her, if she could not understand him. She pointed to herself, and then one word. "Ayla"

Perking up at this, the man repeated her name, amazingly the same as Ayla had. She was unused to others being able to pronounce it so easily. The man pointed back at himself, and said what must have been his name. "Albus Dumbledore"

She tried to catch the long name, but couldn't quite catch it all. She attempted to repeat it, but it came out as "Albus umb-ore"

The man smiled slightly at the attempt, and nodded his head in affirmation. She smiled tentatively back at Albus, and then signed for a restroom and food. She couldn't remember the last time she cleaned up or ate. Albus did not understand fully at first, but a moment later, he nodded again, pointed to a wooden object just to the right of her bed, inset into the wall, and then at the table on the left of her bed. He removed a long stick from within his clothing, and waved it at the table, and food appeared.

Stunned, Ayla nodded, gave a grateful nod, and headed over to the door. She opened it, but did not see an exit. She had been planning to go and find a secluded bush she could use, but all she saw was a small room with strange objects lining the wall. She tentatively took a step towards the small one, low to the ground, and sat on the object. It was at a fairly good height and had a hole in the middle. Not too hard to figure out how that worked. Why they had a fancy basket that looked to be permanently built into the small room, was not for her to figure out, at least not at the moment. She hurried through her business, and then left to eat. Getting back onto the soft table, she began to eat.

Dumbledore saw this, and pulled a seat up and sat down facing Ayla. After eating a little of the small feast in front of her, what amazing foods, she decided to try again to communicate with Albus. She pointed down at the bed, and waited for the word. Dumbledore figured out what she was looking for, and gave her the word.

After going through the small group of objects within reach of her bed, Dumbledore decided that the meeting was long enough for the day, and tried to signal to Ayla that he was going for the time being. Ayla caught on quickly, and nodded in confirmation. Before he left, he waved over a lady in a robe similar to his robes, but in a more muted color. He introduced her as Pomfrey, and then left.

Pomfrey refilled the glass of water that Ayla had been drinking from, and then motioned for her to get back into the bed. Ayla acquiesced, and soon was wrapped up within the blankets again. She was disappointed in not having learned more in the short time Albus had been there, but she knew she would be speaking with him soon. She wouldn't let language stop her. The thought was confusing to the 12 year old, as all she could remember of spoken language was garbled sounds from before living with the Clan, but she decided to sleep on it.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. I will update again within 2 weeks this time, I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

-1Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I am happy just borrowing them for a while.

Chapter 3 - The Dream

_Ayla was sitting in a small cave with a horse in one corner and a tall man across the fire from her. She was asking him the names of items. Suddenly, the image changed, and she was now having a dream of her mother. A few more memories came to mind, and then she was alone, being attacked by a cave lion!_

Ayla awoke with a start, sweat beading down her face. She looked around, a bit unsure of where she was, but a few moments later she remembered. It seemed to be right before sunrise, by the light streaming through the windows, so she stood up and went to the room she had been introduced to the day before. Once completing her morning ritual as much as she could in such a place, she went back to the bed and sat down up against the headboard.

"I wonder what the dream meant. It feels so real, but surely I am not that old." Ayla thought to herself. "I do wonder who that man was."

Finally a thought occured to her. Everyone was Others, just like her, even the man in her dreams. The realization swept over her, and she wondered when Albus or Pomfrey would be back to check on her. She had so many questions, and she needed to learn the language so she could ask them.

* * *

Ayla berated herself for falling asleep again, and looked around to see if anyone else was awake. She noticed that the room was as almost as bright as being outdoors, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Looking around, she saw Pomfrey in a corner of the large room. She did not know the customs of these people, but she needed to get Albus. She stood up and began walking over to the lady.

Pomfrey turned around and saw Ayla walking towards her, and not in her bed, and held up a hand to make her stop.

Ayla took the sign immediately and halted her progress, waiting for the mysterious Other who knew a few signs to tell her what was going on.

Pomfrey motioned she would be right over, and that Ayla should go back to the bed. She was surprised at how easy Ayla took nonverbal commands.

Ayla went back to the bed, and picked up her glass of water. It was still cool to the touch, and was quite refreshing when she sipped it. She drank about half of the glass, and set it back down on the table. Her stomach began to grumble from not having breakfast yet, and he wondered when she would next eat. "The food from last night was extravagent. They either have an abundance of food, or they are treating me as an honored guest, almost like I was Mog-ur." This thought made her curious as to how these people acted.

Luckily for Ayla, Pomfrey came over soon after, with a tray full of foods. Ayla looked at the tray with a look of confusion and delight. There were items on there that she just could not figure out, but she knew meat when she saw and smelt it.

"Thangk uu, Pomfrey."

"How are you feeling this morning? I see that you are hungry." This last was said in response to Ayla's eating habits. She had not even looked at the silverware, but was picking up all of the meat she could find, and just eating them as fast as she could, without trying to make a bad impression.

Ayla looked up, surprised. She had understood everything that Pomfrey had said! She swallowed the food she had been eating, and tried to respond to her best ability.

"Ayla good. Words?"

Pomfrey bit her lip for a moment, trying to figure out what Ayla was trying to communicate, then remembered what Dumbledore had told her the night before.

"You would like me to teach you to speak our language? I do not think I am qualified for that, but I will send for Albus if you would like."

Ayla nodded that that was what she wanted, and leaned back and continued to eat, now trying a few of the other items on the plate while Pomfrey walked off.

* * *

A/N: I hope I am not boring people with this story. Please, R&R, it really makes me feel it is worth writing. I would probably not be writing this particular story if no one liked it. Also, I still need a year of HP that you all think is best for this one to run into. I have a few ideas, but nothing set in stone yet. I can't write much more until I know. Just a bit of blackmail from this author :) 


	4. Chapter 4

Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I am happy just borrowing them for a while.

Chapter 4 - Another conversation

As Ayla finished the rest of the food on her tray, she heard the door to the cave she was in open. Although the door was unlike the hide doors made for the Clan's cave, she understood its purpose. She looked up and saw Dumbledore walking towards her, this time wearing a light yellow robe. She pushed the tray aside, and made herself comfortable, then waved her hand over to the chair beside her bed. Dumbledore nodded and let himself down onto the chair. After a few moments of silence, he began to speak.

"Pomfrey spoke with me and said you wanted to learn more words? I am glad to see you awake and wanting to learn again, after such a short period of time. I do not know what else I can teach you right now, being limited to items in the infirmary. How would you like to continue?"

Dumbledore thought she might have a hard time understanding her, but spoke normally nonetheless, as it would help Ayla to learn more than just names of items. He was surprised when she replied.

"I want learn more words. What 'infirmary'?"

"Ah, the infirmary is where people are taken when they are ill, not feeling well."

"I not ill. Feel good."

"Ah, but you have had a traumatic experience, and we do not know the full consequences. I believe you should leave Poppy to care for you, make sure you are feeling better, before you go outside. She is the school healer."

"Healer? I am healer. I feel no ill."

"Ah, that is probably from the pain relief potion we gave you. You took a nasty fall when you came here."

Ayla looked confused at that, but nodded in acceptance. She would try again very soon, she wasn't one to give up so easily.

"Tell how I came here?"

"Well, we don't know exactly how it happened, but I can tell you what I know. I was in the great hall for dinner, and fell an unusual tug in my mind. Not sure what it was, I went outside to get some fresh air, and while I was walking around the lake, I had a vision. It was an unusual vision, as it was mostly pitch black, but for a moment I felt myself traveling back to the beginning of life. As the different creatures diverged from the line flowing back to me, I felt a nervous tug again, and I tried to slow down and help. I came back to the present after a moment longer, and was just wondering what it could mean, when I felt another tug, but stronger, then in a flash of light, you fell out of the air, about chest high, and landed on the ground. Of course I took you immediately here for medical assistance. The interesting part was that you seemed to be physically fine, aside from a few bruises from the fall, and unfortunately a broken rib. As Poppy was checking you over for internal injuries, she noticed that you had too many memories for such a young body, so I helped her. I am sorry to say I had to view most of your memories, but you would have gone into shock if I had not removed half of them."

Ayla stared at Dumbledore for a moment, absorbing what she had just heard. He had gone into the Clan memory, without taking the root. He had also saved her from the nothingness she felt after Mog-Ur had left her connection. She was relieved, then curious as to what he meant about her memories.

"I not understand remove memories. How?"

"Ayla, we are witches and wizards, we can do things that ordinary people cannot do."

She frowned, then brightened. "You are mogur!"

"I do not know what that is. I will show you what a wizard is tomorrow. For today, I am glad to see you learning so fast our language. You should rest. Tomorrow I will be back in the morning. Be good for Poppy now."

Ayla nodded, and Dumbledore left. Sitting up against the wall, she looked around for a few minutes, then decided sleep would not hurt her. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

* * *

When Ayla awoke again, she wondered where she was, but after a moment, she remembered. She slowly got out of bed and went to the 'bathroom' she had learned to use, and then sat back on the bed. Although it was still light in the infirmary, she could tell that it was nearing dusk, and wondered when she would be served dinner. She decided to go through all the words she had learned since she woke up in the strange place, and was in the process of going through them a second time when Pomfrey came in with a new tray.

"Hello, Pomfrey. How you?"

"I am good, dear. I brought you dinner, I thought you would be hungry again. I hope you like it."

Ayla looked at the tray, and grinned at the sight before her. The bird looked slightly different than the Ptarmigan she made for Creb, but she could tell it was a bird. She smiled at the lady before her.

"Thank you, I like." She couldn't think of the word, so pointed at the chicken.

"It is roast chicken. Chicken is a bird." With that, Pomfrey made a motion with her hand, to signify flapping of wings.

Ayla nodded, and thanked the lady again, before digging into the chicken. She was surprised at the flavor. It tasted unusual to her, but still good. She was glad she was becoming more understood, and felt she was getting almost used to these new people that called themselves witches and wizards.

When she was done with dinner, she stood up and cleaned herself off in the bathroom, then went back to bed. Pomfrey came by shortly after for the tray, with a small container in her hands.

"Sorry to ask this Ayla, but do you have a headache? I have some medicine that will help."

Ayla accepted the glass vial, and shortly after, she felt tired. She drifted off to sleep and didn't wake up again until morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

A/N: Hey, who wants more? I know it's been a while, but I finally have time again to write! (after almost a whole year's hiatus…) I'm going to try posting on a regular schedule, we'll see how it goes. Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I am happy just borrowing them for a while.

Chapter 5 - Witches and Wizards

_Ayla felt the thrill of the wind whipping by her as she raced over the ground. She was going much too fast for her to be running, so she looked down at her feet. Below her was a dun colored mare, and she seemed to be running wherever Ayla wanted her to go. Startled, but excited, she decided that she needed to slow down a bit and see where she was. As she thought it, the mare slowed down, and began to just trot along. There was a river in the distance, and it seemed to go into a canyon further off. As she neared the canyon, she had a strange feeling of coming home. Suddenly, everything disappeared._

Ayla woke up, startled by the dream. Once she looked around the strange white cave, the "infirmary", she felt a little better. It was still not the cave, but it was a place she had come to know in recent days. After a few minutes, she decided to get out of bed and clean up in the bathroom, then wait for Albus to arrive. She didn't have to wait long, as he walked over to her section of the infirmary with Pomfrey slightly behind.

"Good morning Ayla. Did you sleep well?"

Ayla nodded. "You tell what witch and wizard is now?"

"I would think you would want breakfast first. How about I tell you while you eat?"

"Yes. Breakfast?"

"We will be having breakfast at a table today. Follow me to the middle of the room?"

Ayla waited for Pomfrey to do a quick check to make sure Ayla was ok, then let her get up. Ayla followed Dumbledore to the middle of the room. Not seeing a table, she turned to Dumbledore.

"Ah, yes. You are wondering where the table is. I find that it is easier to show what a wizard is than to tell. Are you prepared for a demonstration?"

Ayla nodded, curious as to what was going to happen, and continued to stand near Dumbledore.

Dumbledore withdrew a small stick from within his robes, and waved it towards the floor. Almost instantly, a table and two chairs appeared before them.

Ayla stared at the table for a moment, then turned to Dumbledore with an awed look on her face.

"How you do that? Table no there, now table there."

Dumbledore smiled and responded with a single word. "Magic."

"How you do magic?"

"I will tell you that and maybe even be able to teach you some of the magic, if you are capable of harnessing the powers within yourself. But first, sit, and we shall have breakfast. Do you have any requests?"

"I have what you have."

"I can get anything you might want. Just ask for it."

Ayla thought for a few minutes, but didn't know how to tell the man what she wanted. She was still angry that she could not communicate to her fullest potential. Shaking her head, she apologized.

"Do not apologize, Ayla. You are learning the language just fine. Maybe after a few more days, you will be able to decide our breakfast. Until then, if you do not mind, I will choose it for us?"

"That good. Thank you."

Albus thought for a few moments, and with a swish of his wand, a tea set with two cups, some small pastries and a pile of jerky appeared on the table. He wasn't sure if she was used to eating jerky for breakfast, but with how much meat she had consumed since she had woken up the first time, she must like it a lot.

Ayla stared at the strange devices before her. She knew what the cups were for, although they were not made in any way she was used to. She did notice the meat, and took a few pieces while waiting on Albus to continue. Seeing that she was not fully sure what the other things were, Albus poured out the tea into the cups, and told Ayla what it was. Ayla took a cup for herself, and after smelling it and tasting it, felt a little more comfortable at the table.

"Tea? Use … name? to make?"

"This tea uses chamomile leaves, but other teas use other items."

"Chamomile. Yes, I know, umm, leaves?"

"Herbs? The plants that are used are called herbs. Like peppermint and licorice root."

"Yes, herbs. I learn more herbs?"

"I will find you a book with pictures and names of herbs in it, if you would like."

"Book? What book?"

"Ah, I suppose you do not know what a book is. Alas, that will take a while to explain, especially if you still need to learn to read. I will try to help you out there, but first I believe I should find out if you are capable of using magic. I am guessing you are, as you seem to have traveled many years into the future, if your clothing was any indication of when you are from."

Ayla stared at Albus, trying to take in all that he said. It was difficult, but she felt that she had caught all of what he said. Waiting for him to continue, she took another sip of the tea and nibbled a corner off the jerky.

"Alright. I suppose now I need to test your magic ability. Please, come with me? I think this would be better done in a safer environment."

Albus stood up, and once Ayla was standing as well, he took her out of the infirmary and down to an unused classroom.

Ayla followed along, looking at all the smooth walls in this cave. It must be massive, with how large the rooms were, and the long halls that kept on going. Once she reached the classroom, she noticed a window, and went over to look. She had thought they were underground, but upon seeing the window, she realized they were actually fairly high above the ground. Maybe a cave in the side of a cliff? Walking closer, she looked out and noticed that she had to be at least five people above the ground. And what was that substance in the way? It seemed to be as solid as stone, but she could see right through it? She had to be in a strange place, for all of these weird things to be used everywhere she looked.

Albus gave her a few more moments to stare and get acquainted with the area, then he cleared his throat to gain her attention once more. Once she looked back at him, he motioned her over.

Ayla walked back over to Albus, and waited for further instructions. A moment later, he handed her a stick. Looking at it closer, she noticed it was the stick he had been using recently. Wondering what to do with it, she turned it around in her hands a few times, seeing how smooth and polished it was. Whatever it was for, it was well cared for.

"It is a wand. It is what a witch or a wizard uses to do magic. Please, give it a small wave, towards that wall over there, and see if anything happens. If you are at all magical, you will produce some sort of effect. The wand chooses the wizard, but any wand should work to find out if you can wield the powers held within."

Ayla shrugged to herself, and pointed the stick towards the wall Albus had indicated. With a slight swish, a large red beam shot out and hit the wall. For a second, she thought she saw a lion where it hit the wall, but it faded from view after only a second. Surprised at the effect a stick could have, with just swishing it, she backed up and fell into her normal submissive pose, holding the wand up to Albus with both hands. This was strange, powerful magic, even more powerful than Mog-Ur could control! And she was a woman, she should not be anywhere near this powerful item!

Albus noted her reaction, and slowly took back the wand, then tapped her on the shoulder once more, and motioned her to get back up.

"Do not be alarmed, that was a good sign. I think in a few days, when you are better rested, we will take you to get your own wand. With a little training, you could be a fine witch. There are a few more things to work out, but I feel that you could start taking lessons in the near future, if you can learn to read and write, and I suppose you would also need to learn math and a few other subjects. Ah, we will find you a tutor. Well, I think I have rambled on long enough. We should bring you back to the infirmary before Poppy gets mad. Ready to go back, Ayla?"

Ayla just nodded, and followed Albus back to the room she was getting so used to being in. It wasn't so bad here. At least the bed was soft. And she was getting real tired. Maybe she was a little sick, if all she had to do was wave a stick once and take a short walk to be tired. She normally could walk most of the day and still take care of the people of her clan. Sitting down on her bed, she decided a nap couldn't hurt. It did not seem that she would get in trouble for it here.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry Potter and the Earth's Child

Chapter 6

Shopping

Two days later, Ayla awoke with Albus talking to Poppy. They were trying to be quiet, so as not to wake her, but she had felt a presence and woke up. She rolled over and stood up, trying to be discreet as she left for the head. When she returned to her bed, Albus was waiting for her.

"Hello, Ayla. How did you sleep?"

"Good. Thank you. What we do today?"

"I figured it was time to go shopping. We need to get you a wand, and all of the other items you will need to learn magic. I have picked a tutor for you, and I will introduce you to her later. Right now, she is in class. When you are ready, we will go."

"I be ready soon."

"Take your time. I will wait at the door." Albus motioned to the door and then walked away.

Ayla dressed and spent a few minutes brushing her hair, then walked towards the door. When she arrived, she was motioned out and down the hall. Albus took the lead a moment later, and began descending stairs that moved randomly. Ayla took a moment to brace herself for the oddness, but followed before the stairs could move away. Once they arrived at the bottom floor, they walked out of a large set of doors. Ayla could not believe how large the place was. It had to be man-made, but how it was possible was beyond her comprehension.

"We will take a carriage to the gates, then aparate to Diagon Alley."

Ayla nodded, but did not understand the words.

They walked down the steps to the grounds. Ayla continued to take in the awe inspiring views, but then stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her, attached to some odd contraption, was a creature she had never seen before. It reminded her a bit of a horse, but it looked ematiated and definitely not natural. Albus looked back over his shoulder and stopped.

"Ayla, what is wrong?"

"Horse thing?" she tried to explain, but could not find the correct words. She gave up and pointed to the creature.

"You see them? I am sorry. I did not expect that. You are so young. They are Kestrels. Come, it will be better once we are in the carriage." Albus motioned towards the door, and helped Ayla inside. They sat down, and then began to move. The ride was surprisingly gentle, and a few minutes later, they went through a gate and the wagon stopped. Albus got out and helped Ayla down.

"It may be best to close your eyes, the first time." Albus took her hand and she did as she was told. A moment later, she felt a pulling and then she felt hard ground under her. She opened her eyes and screamed.

"Ayla! What is it?"

She pointed at the corner, next to the newly formed stone wall, where a small rodent was running past.

"Are you afraid of the marmot, Ayla?"

"No, where did wall come from?"

"That was apparation. You will get used to it, in time. I hope you were not too startled."

"I fine. Let us go Diagon Alley now?" Ayla took a few deep breaths and then settled down a bit. The day just kept getting stranger as it went.

They walked through a magically forming doorway, then into an area where many strangely dressed people walked about. She stared for a moment, then began looking through the windows of different shops. Her curiousity had won out. She was not very surprised at that, but it was definitely not something the Clan would have allowed her to do. She was learning that the Others were not the same. It was a bit scary, but she was handling herself well enough, it seemed.

Albus motioned to the large building at the end, and led her there.

"First, we need some money, so we can purchase the items we need. Luckily, I have a fund for those not capable of affording the items they need. Although, do not take advantage of the fund and purchase a donkey. That would be frowned upon."

"Yes?" Ayla looked quizically at the strange person standing beside her. "I purchase what I need, not donkey."

"Good. One moment, and I will have the goblins bring me a sack from the vault."

Albus walked away for a moment, while Ayla stood outside by the doors. It was so strange here. She half wondered if she would ever feel completely comfortable around these people. Part of her knew she would. Albus came back out with a sack about the size of her two fists together, and then led her three shops down and inside the building. It was made of wood, she could see that, but she could not see how the trees had been formed into the furniture. It was much too smooth and even.

"Take much time make cave?" She asked.

"The shop took a while to build, but not too long. Magic helped a bit." Albus remarked.

Ayla took in all of the shelves and saw the different large wooden twigs lining the shelves. "These wands?" She asked.

"Yes, this is Ollivander's Wand Shop. He sells nearly all the wands the magical community uses. He is one of the best in the world." Albus mentioned, as an elderly man rounded the corner.

"Thank you, Albus. I always enjoy your kind words. Now, what can I do for you today?"

"I have a new magic user to purchase a wand for. She seems very powerful, and her magic is just itching to come out. I lent her my wand to test her magical capabilities, and she created quite a sight."

"Interesting. Is there any magic in her family?" Ollivander asked excitedly.

"I do not believe so, but I also do not know her family. She was an orphan."

Ollivander frowned. "That is alright. I am sure I will find a wand that wants her." He turned to the nearest shelf and searched through a few piles before pulling one out of the stacks and handing it to Ayla. "Try this."

Ayla cautiously took the proferred wand and held it in front of her for a moment. Olivander looked at her.

"Well, give it a shake or wave or something." Olivander coached.

Ayla took a breath, then waved it across the store. Again, colorful sparks shot out. It was not quite as extravegant as the previous time, but it was still enough to toss a few papers around the shop onto the floor. Ayla gingerly handed the wand back to Olivander.

Olivander frowned and turned to Albus. "Albus, why did she just hand it back to me?"

Albus replied in a thoughtful voice. "Most likely, because it did not feel correct to her. I know that my wand had a more extreme reaction when she held it."

"Interesting. I will search for a wand closer to yours, then." He turned back to Ayla. "Let me see what I can find. Wait here while I gather a few more options."

Ayla nodded gratefully to the man, and then sighed in relief that she would not be the center of attention again for a few more minutes. She began to walk around the store, but tripped on her shoe. She was not used to wearing them still, and nearly fell on her face. She caught herself just in time, and glanced under the table. She did not expect to find anything, but there was a wand underneath. She neeled down in front of the table and drew it out. She held it in both of her hands, and just stared at the beauty of the wood. It was about as long as her foot, and about ½ an inch thick at the back, narrowinng down to an eighth of an inch at the tip. It was completely straight, and did not have any decorations, aside from the natural striping of the wood. She followed the lines of darker color from tip to tip, and could feel the skin on the back of her neck stand on end. There was power in this wand.

Albus walked up behind her, and tried to see what she was looking at.

"Ayla, are you alright? I saw you trip. Are you injured? Ayla?" he frowned, as she continued to sit in place. He went to her and tapped on her shoulder.

Ayla jumped, fumbling the wand. As it dropped to the floor, it shot out purple sparks, filling the whole shop with them before finally stopping. Olivander raced out, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Is everyone safe? What was that?"

Albus regained his composure and turned to him. "I think the wand found her, Olli. She dropped it when I startled her, and that happened."

"Interesting. Which wand was it?"

"I do not know. I did not get a good look at it. Ayla, may we see the wand?"

She turned towards the others and handed the wand to them, fearing they would take it from her, but giving it freely as she had been taught. As she relinquished control of the wand, it shot a few more sparks, before lying inert in Olivander's hands.

"This is the wand I lost years ago. It must have hidden or something. It is an interesting combination of materials. I found this wood inside of a white cave, while I was visiting France, oh, thirty or so years ago. It called to me, so I picked it up and brought it back with me, where it sat for another five years before I ended up using it. I ended up never finishing it. It does not have a core, just a focus. A piece of pyrite, I believe. Actually, the only thing I ever did to it was place the focus inside. Very interesting. I have never met a witch or wizard that did not need a core to use their wand."

Albus and Olivander stared at Ayla for a moment, and she began to feel very self conscious of the fact. She went down into her position, until Albus tapped her on the shoulder.

"I believe this is yours, Ayla. Take good care of it." He held out the wand to her.

She carefully took it back, and felt it before looking back at Albus.

"This powerful wand. It want me use it." She hoped he would understand the need she felt to use it again.

"Olivander, how much does the wand cost? I am paying for this one."

Olivander held up his hands. "No, I never finished that wand. She is free to take it. No payment needed. She was meant to have it."

"Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine. Have a good day." Olivander turned and walked back into the stacks of wands, shaking his head in disbelief.

Albus turned to Ayla. "We will purchase a holster for the wand next. There is no reason for you to carry it in your hand at all times. Are you ready to go to the next store?"

Ayla nodded and followed Albus to the next store, still hypnotized by the beauty of the look, feel and FEEL of the wand in her hands.


End file.
